Writer, comedian, and talk show and podcast host Conan O’Brien is in the news, having recently served as host of the Academy Awards. He will again host the Oscars in 2026, and he was just honored with the Mark Twain Prize at the  John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following in the footsteps of such performers as Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, Tina Fey, and Jon Stewart. O’Brien visited Israel in 2017, where he went to the Tel Baruch Central Synagogue in Tel Aviv to convert to Judaism. But he did not have much time in his schedule for that task, saying, “I have about an hour and 25 minutes to absorb 4000 years of culture and deeply held belief.” When the synagogue’s rabbi, Dov Halbertal, told him he would have to be circumcised, O’Brien replied, “Can we skip that part, because I need everything I got down there.” O’Brien did not convert, but he did throw himself a bar mitzvah party at the synagogue, where teenagers lifted him on a chair and Rabbi Halbertal played foosball with Conan. What did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say when told that Conan O’Brien would be visiting Israel?

Conan O'Brien by Gage Skidmore 2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. “Even in difficult times, it is always important that we are able to laugh together. We welcome Conan O’Brien to the Promised Land.”

B. “The Hebrew word קונן (Conen) means ‘to lament’ and so I must say I was lamenting the upcoming visit of Conan O’Brien. But I’ve been told that he has planted a tree from JNF in my honor, so I look forward to meeting Mr. O’Brien.”

C. “The most famous Irishman to come to Israel is Chaim Herzog, our sixth president. I look forward to the visit from another famous Irishman, though he is not likely to be elected to office here.”

D. “When Rebecca gave birth to her elder son, it says in the Bible, ‘The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau.’ I look forward to meeting this Irish descendent of Esau.”

E. “Get back to me when Colbert’s here.”

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